NYC to Limit Baby Formula in Hospitals

By Labor Day, at least 27 hospitals in New York City will have implemented the main components of the Latch On NYC initiative, which aims to reduce the influence of baby formula promotion and encourage breastfeeding for new mothers.

As part of the initiative, formula will be kept in locked storage rooms, cabinets, or automated medication systems, to which only certain staff members will have access. Staff members will record each time formula is used and the reason it was used, and that information will be shared with the city's health department monthly.

The voluntary initiative was launched in May by the city's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and it includes three other primary components:

Enforcing existing state hospital regulations that say that breastfeeding infants should not receive supplemental formula feedings unless medically indicated, a regulation that is widely ignored

Discontinuing the distribution of promotional or free infant formula

Prohibiting the display and distribution of infant formula promotional materials, including bags and other items branded by formula companies, in any hospital location

"The purpose of this initiative is to support new mothers who choose to breastfeed," according to the health department. "If a mother chooses to breastfeed, we want to support her decision and eliminate practices that can interfere with her ability to successfully breastfeed."

Richard Schanler, MD, chair of the American Academy of Pediatricsâ€™ section on breastfeeding threw his support behind the initiative.

â€œThis is a terrific idea because of the benefits of breastfeeding and the profound effect that the hospital sets the tone for breastfeeding success,â€ he wrote in an email to MedPage Today. "This is not a lifestyle choice, but rather a mandate to ensure the health of the infant (and even the mother)."

But public reaction is not so positive -- rather, the initiative is being seen as another move by the city to control personal choice, coming hard on New York mayor Michael Bloomberg's ban on sales of soft drinks in containers larger than 16 oz.

The initiative will not eliminate formula from the participating hospitals and mothers will still be allowed to choose to formula feed their babies, according to the health department.

"If a mother comes into a participating hospital with the intent to formula feed her baby, Latch On NYC does not require her to be counseled on the benefits of breastfeeding," a health department spokesperson said. "However, the mother may receive education on breastfeeding at any time during the hospital stay upon her request."

The initiative also includes a public awareness campaign using posters in hospitals and the subway system to tout the benefits of breastfeeding, including lower risks of breast and ovarian cancers for mothers and lower risks of ear, respiratory, and gastrointestinal infections and asthma for babies.

The program has been endorsed by the New York State Department of Health, the Greater New York Hospital Association, the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation, and the New York state chapters of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Family Physicians, and the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine.

The NYC Health and Hospitals Corporation, which runs 11 of the hospitals that have signed on to Latch On NYC, previously banned formula from gift bags and promotional materials distributed in labor and delivery units. That measure was recently adopted by Massachusetts, the second state to do so after Rhode Island ended the practice last November.

A study published last year in Pediatrics, however, showed that most hospitals surveyed in 19 states and the District of Columbia continue to include formula in bags given to new mothers at discharge.

Accessibility Statement

At MedPage Today, we are committed to ensuring that individuals with disabilities can access all of the content offered by MedPage Today through our website and other properties. If you are having trouble accessing www.medpagetoday.com, MedPageToday's mobile apps, please email legal@ziffdavis.com for assistance. Please put "ADA Inquiry" in the subject line of your email.